A single candidate for presidency and chairman of the National Council discuss pre-election situation

On January 7, the head of state, Ilham Aliyev, gave an interview to local TV channels. As of 18:00, the content of the interview had not been published.

In late December, the Nakhchivan Court for Serious Crimes concluded the trial of former Minister of Finance of the Nakhchivan Autonomous Republic (NAR), Rafael Aliyev, and former head of the Nakhchivan Customs Committee’s department, Mansur Askerov. Both were accused of embezzling state budget funds in collusion with others. In his testimony, Askerov revealed that illegal fees were being collected for cargo and from passengers. Sahat Habibbeyli, appointed head of Nakhchivan Customs in 2020, had instructed Askerov to include only a portion of the collected funds in the Transport and International Relations (TIR) program.

The "Republican Alternative" Party (REAL) has proposed a program to reform local governance ahead of the municipal elections on January 29, aiming to expand opportunities for economic activity at the municipal level. The new program has been developed with consideration of  the existing economic problems in the country. The government of Azerbaijan seeks to obtain external loans for its projects, the economic feasibility of which raises doubts.

On January 7, the head of state signed a decree to raise the salaries of employees in a number of budgetary organizations by 15% starting from January 1.